College graduates celebrate their achievements.
What should the federal government do to expand and protect civil rights?
The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights for all Americans. In 1789, though, African Americans, women, and Native Americans did not have the same rights given white males. Over the years, however, rights have been extended to these groups. A major question remains, though: How far should the government go to expand rights? Use the timeline below to explore this enduring issue.
1791 Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution guarantee certain basic rights and freedoms.
1868 Fourteenth Amendment
Guarantees citizenship to everyone born or naturalized in the United States.
1920 Nineteenth Amendment
Women gain the right to vote.
1964 Civil Rights Act
Bans race or gender discrimination in public accommodations and jobs.
1990 Americans With Disabilities Act
Bans discrimination against people with disabilities.
The Bill of Rights
Affirmative Action Some urge companies, colleges, and the government to use affirmative action programs to expand opportunities for women and minorities. Others argue that such steps are unfair.
“You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying ‘you are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe you have been completely fair…. We seek not just freedom but opportunity … not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result.”
—President Lyndon Johnson, speech, June 4, 1965
“The civil rights laws themselves forbade employers to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, color, or religion. They didn’t say anything about guaranteeing a certain number of slots to minorities or women…. The supporters of affirmative action everywhere seemed to believe that the only way to eliminate racial discrimination against blacks, Latinos, and women was to discriminate against white men.”
—Linda Chavez, essay, October 2002